biological treatments - OCD

• drug therapies are the main source of treatment for OCD

  • SSRIs
  • SSRIs + CBT
  • tricyclics - clomipramine
  • SNRIs
• drug therapies

  • drugs used to treat OCD work to increase the level of serotonin in brain for OCD patients due to them having low levels of serotonin
• SSRIs stand for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
• SSRIs are the standard medical treatment used to tackle OCD symptoms
• SSRI is type of antidepressant drug
• SSRI's work on serotonin system in brain - prevents reabsorption or breakdown of serotonin which means serotonin is able to increase levels within synapse and continue stimulating the postsynaptic neuron - SSRIs compensate for lack of serotonin in OCD
• SSRIs work by blocking (inhibiting) the reuptake whereby more serotonin is able to pass further messages on
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - makes serotonin stay in synapse

  A) reuptake

  B) ssris

  C) synapse

  D) active potential

  
• drugs are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD

  • drugs reduce patients emotional symptoms such as feeling anxious/depressed - means they can engage more effectively in CBT
• alternatives to SSRIs

  • if SSRIs aren't effective after 3/4 months - the dose can be increased or combined with other drugs
  • tricyclics - e.g. clomipramine (more side effects than SSRIs so is kept as reserve)
  • SNRIs - serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors - increase levels of serotonin and noradrenaline (regulation of arousal, attention, cognitive function and stress reactions)
• evaluation points for biological treatments for OCD

  • cost effective and non disruptive (+)
  • side effects (-)
  • supporting evidence (+)
• cost effective and non disruptive (+)

  • strength of drug treatments for OCD is that they are cost effective
  • drug treatments are cheap compared to psychological treatment - good value for public health system
  • SSRIs are non disruptive to day to day living - patients lives are minimally affected compared to therapies - as a result of just needing to take the drug
  • strength as it allows more individuals to be treated for lower cost - helping economy
• side effects (-)

  • limitation includes minority of individuals with OCD will get no benefit from taking the drugs such as SSRIs
  • some suffer side effects such as indigestion, blurred vision
  • those taking alternatives - clomipramine - side effects are more common and more serious (heartburn, weight loss)
  • therefore effectiveness of using drugs as treatments for OCD is questioned and reduced as knowing the side effects it stops individuals from using the drug due to unpleasant side effect occuring
• supporting evidence (+)

  • there is clear evidence for effectiveness for SSRIs in reducing severity of OCD symptoms
  • researchers compared studies using SSRIs and placebos as treatment for OCD - showed better results for SSRI condition
  • strength of treatment is that there is support for effectiveness of using the drugs as a treatment for OCD